Categories: Lifestyle

A popular holiday-themed train is bringing free concerts to cities across Canada

Photo via @cpkcrail / Instagram

Nothing says it’s the holidays like festive concerts, and this one is aboard a historic train that gives back to each community it visits. And while we’re still in spooky season, now is a great time to start planning ahead for all of your favourite holiday excursions.

CPKC railway

The product of two historic railways coming together (Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern), the CPKC railway is the first and only single-line rail network connecting the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. And if you love getting in the festive spirit, they have a popular holiday train concert experience to cap off every year, and they’ve just released the official Canadian Holiday Schedule.

CPKC Holiday Train

Running from November 20th to December 19th, the CPKC Holiday Train travels through Canada and the U.S., bringing free concerts performed from the festive train stage by professional musicians like Seaforth and Kiesza.

At each stop, CPKC makes a donation to a local food bank or shelf, encouraging passengers to donate as well. According to the railway, the experience has raised more than $22.5 million and more than 5 million pounds of food for community food banks since its inception in 1999.

The 25th annual Holiday Train will start on the east coast in Maine, making its way to Montreal and multiple cities in Quebec and Ontario in November, before heading to the Prairies in early December, and finally, BC in mid-December.

Stops in major Canadian cities include:

Montreal (QC) – November 21st (Montreal West EXO Commuter Station, 7499 Avenue Harley)
Toronto (ON)– November 28th (CPKC Yard Office parking lot, 750 Runnymede Road)
Calgary (AB)– December 9th (Anderson C-Train Station south parking lot)
Port Moody (BC) – December 18th (300 Ioco Road behind Arena and Recreation Center)

According to the train’s socials, the 2023 route includes six new U.S. stops and 20 Holiday Express stops.

So there you have it, holiday enthusiasts!